Staying on Top of SEO: A Lesson in Adaptability

SEO, or search engine optimization, is always changing. New search algorithms developed every year or so create new rules and practices surrounding SEO. To SEO strategists, like those at the Charleston SEO firm of DigitalCoast Marketing, this means more analytics and finding effective ways to implement SEO. To business owners, this means constantly updating and re-visiting marketing strategies.

Online marketing in Charleston, SC is not about trends, but flexibility. Trends are important, but having a strong foundation that can accommodate change is one of the best assets your business can have. When it comes to developing a great long-term SEO strategy, here are the assets that can make your company stand out online and in the minds of your audience:

Responsive Web Design

Web design specialists and industry leaders have been repeating the benefits of a responsive website over and over. Responsive web design allows end users to transition from device to device seamlessly. Without responsive web design, your SEO foundation is clunky at best. More people than ever are accessing websites on-the-go and need to be able to easily scan or locate information on any device such as their smartphones.

For example, let’s say that a man wants to go check out a new restaurant in the town square. He looks up the menu and location before he gets in the car, but then forgets if it was on 1st Street or 5th Avenue. Instead of driving around for 5 minutes, he’ll probably pull over and pull up the website on his phone. If someone in a hurry can’t find the information needed in a few minutes, it could mean lost business.

Responsive web design doesn’t just help people find information on a site, it can also improve the information that Google stores for fast information at the touch of a button. If your business hasn’t converted to a responsive web design, get in touch with a Charleston SEO company like DigitalCoast Marketing.

Web Site Content

Every SEO tactic is fueled in some way by great content. What you say, where you say it, and when you say it all make a world of difference in how your company is viewed online. If your company is still relying on keyword stuffing, generic blog posts, and intermittent social media posts, it’s time to completely revamp your content strategy. Content should be easy to scan, conversational, and in the right place. Here are some ways to start building a strong foundation of content:

Try to do some guest blogging only if it makes sense – Instead of posting your content on your own page, which is like putting up a notice on a bulletin board in your home, try reaching out to a 3rd party site to do guest writing. Having said that, do be careful. According to Matt Cutts of Google, “if you’re doing a lot of guest blogging then you’re hanging out with really bad company.” However, there are still many good reasons, such as exposure and branding, to guest blog. In other words, don’t do it for SEO purposes, do it to gain traffic and authority.

Post everything you do on social media – If you have or are building a social media presence, use that forum to spread the word about your website content updates, guests posts, sales, funny office stories, and other interesting tidbits.

Don’t be spammy – SEO best practices today recommend focusing on providing value first and foremost. Google’s algorithms are becoming smart enough to reward authenticity and punish those who are using sensational tactics to earn rankings. If your content reads like this, “DON’T forget our SUPER SPECTACULAR CLEARANCE SALE on pet products!” and you’re sending it once a day or more than once a day, stop. Readers don’t appreciate it, and there are more effective ways to get your message across. Instead of coming across like a sales advertisement, use content that reads, “Take our quiz to find out which pet matches your personality!” It’s engaging and fun and will get more interaction than traditional sales speak.

Clean Data

Big data is driving online activity today, which means that every company has to make their SEO practices a little more technical to stay ahead of the curve. You will likely need a strong SEO partner to make your data efforts worthwhile and to optimize keywords based on the current trends or to catch typos in product listings. Everything from your ad targeting and retargeting to incoming traffic information needs to be clean in order to build a strong presence that will be rewarded by Google and reach your customers rather than fading into the online abyss.

If cleaning data, sharing data, and consuming data sounds confusing, you may want to invest in the services of a Charleston SEO company. Google Analytics and tools like the Google Tag Manager can be used by the average tech-savvy business person, but other techniques and comprehensive strategies tend to be more complex in nature. Getting the right tools in place to continuously clean and mine the usable data coming into your online assets and going out is a major step in optimizing all of your online activity to drive SEO.

Get ready for the Google Knowledge Graph to get bigger and make mobile searches and company information more easily accessible than ever. If you want your company to be included in the box of information that pops up with key details at the side of a search screen, then now is the time to start investing in your SEO strategy. Industry experts are expecting this type of fast-access information to become a mainstay in Google searches and to evolve to include more relevant information for searchers than ever before.

Ready to Get Started?

Make your digital marketing in Charleston, SC stand out from other local businesses by investing in a strong SEO foundation that you can use to build an online presence and grow your brand. The professionals at DigitalCoast Marketing LLC can help you choose the best tactics for your company and get the right content in front of the right people.